Hartlepool band The Backtrackers set to hold last gig at the end of the year

Brian Edmenson, Jonny Mohun and Peter Dick have been performing together as The Backtrackers for over 10 years, bringing hits from the 60s and 70s to audiences all over the North of England.

But last month the band made the difficult decision to stop performing because of Brian and Peter experiencing health issues.

However, the trio will complete all their remaining gigs until the end of the year, finishing off in style with one final show at the Hartlepool Smallcrafts Club on December 31.

Peter, 70, said: “When you’re performing, they enjoy it, because what you are doing yourself is playing the music you love and all the people’s reaction to it is great as well.

He added that their last time on stage together is going to be “emotional”, with a bit of sadness coming in after the performance has come to an end.

He said: "When we finish, we’ll probably think ‘that’s it’ and that will be sadness then because that’s the last thing we do. So I think that will be the sad part.

"We won’t be sad while we’re doing it, because we enjoy doing it.”

The trio have been in great demand recently with people trying to book them for gigs next year and offering them twice their usual fee, but the band sadly had to turn them down.

Seventy-one-year-old Brian said: “We always get a brilliant response.

"When we started, it was older people who like us or people our age. But now we have a group of probably 20 young people who follow us all over.“

He continued: "We’ve already been offered gigs for next year. It’s difficult saying no, especially when it’s friends or people we know.

"Sadly, we’re saying no, that’s it. We’ve even been offered twice our fee.”

Band member Jonny, 48, who also runs the Hartlepool Folk Festival with his partner, added: “Ten years for us, that’s a good run for any band.

"The Beatles were only lasted nine years, I think. I’ve been playing with Peter in a version of this band for 20 years, so that’s also a hell of a good run.”

Support your Mail and become a subscriber today.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

The Hartlepool Mail has been in town since 1877, and your support means we can continue telling your stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe.